Kathy LaSala is worried. The director of the University of Northern Colorado's School of Nursing sees the shortage of nurses only getting worse in the decade ahead.

"Unless some major changes take place, I don't know if we can fill the need in Colorado for nurses," she says.

Not that she's waiting for a magic bullet.

LaSala and the management team at UNC have been exploring every possible way to recruit and train the nurses of tomorrow, from expanded partnerships with health care providers to adding new degree programs to offering courses to upgrade the skills of working nurses.

The effort has earned UNC's School of Nursing a reputation for responsiveness and innovative thinking.

The school's focus on results mirrors UNC's overall strategy.

Rather than pursuing a massive 5- to 10-year strategic plan, UNC sets objectives and timelines for each of its many parts, says Charles Leonhardt, vice president, university relations.

This alternative to the typical strategic plan, which offers the flexibility to adapt rapidly to difficult times, emerged from months of "where do we want to go?" discussions at the highest levels of the university in 2009.

"We take a